IUCN and Malaga regional council ally to protect the Alboran Sea

22 September 2009 | International news release

The new Collaboration Agreement with the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, adopted in plenary by Malaga regional council, advocates for the protection and conservation of the Alboran Sea in cooperation with Andalusia, Morocco and Algeria.

On Monday 21 September 2009, measures envisaged in this international cooperation initiative were presented in Malaga, along with the participation of Malaga's regional Council, member of IUCN in projects at European and international level for a better official protection of key marine areas and the promotion of more sustainable fishing methods.

The meeting which took place last April in Morocco between governments, researchers, and NGOs with the support of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, resulted in the Oujda Declaration, in which the three countries bordering the Alboran Sea decided to build a collaboration platform for the development of actions for the conservation and sustainable development of the Alboran Sea.

As it is the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea and the point of contact between Africa and Europe, The Alboran Sea is a very unique maritime area. Furthermore, it is a path which must be taken by many migratory animals (land and marine) and the route for maritime transport between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The Alboran Sea is considered to be an area of great geopolitical, strategic and scientific importance, and additionally, it is the dynamic motor for the biodiversity of the western Mediterranean, given the importance of its ecosystems and biodiversity. For all these reasons, the Alboran Sea is an area which deserves to be protected and well managed.

Important issues such as national and international law applicable in the area, unsustainable practices of some fishing techniques with the depletion of marine resources, or mass tourism in costal areas, are aspects that the three countries are addressing to implement measures so as to ensure the health and management of natural resources this sea contains.